First Dog

I don't know how the First Family acquired their pooch, but in whatever manner, it could never compare with the version that the trio of Lewis, Zappitello, and Bowers give us in this truly warm, adventurous story. "First Dog" is one of those wonderful children's books that entertain (check), inform (check), and educate (check)--each delightfully so. There's no stalling--the creators begin immediately with this first sentence: "Once upon a time there was a dog that was looking for the perfect place to live." As he reads the headlines from a man's newspaper, he learns that "even dogs need new homes." You know, tough times. Well, I'll have to go elsewhere to find a perfect home, he thinks. The second part of the "wonderful" equation comes in with information (could also pass for education). As the dog travels the world--an entertaining story in itself, he meets the famous breed of dog of each country. The illustrator also inserts two or three famous places characteristic of the country: red telephone booth, Big Ben, the tower of Westminster, and of course, the English bulldog--in England, of course. In Kenya he meets a Rhodesian Ridgeback, who hunts lions! What a shocker! In Peru he meets a Peruvian Hairless, which he learns is a pampered pooch because he's such a great bed-warmer. In all, he meets ten lovely canines. The reader is given information about each breed on both sets of end pages. The education (to educate=to change), however, comes on the last printed page: "It is estimated that there are over four million abandoned dogs in the United States." Mind boggling, isn't it? There's a nice promo about rescuing/adopting a dog or cat from an animal shelter. Even if you cannot, you can donate money or actual goods to the shelter: food, toys, bedding. Why four stars? "First Dog" is such a good book, but there is one, just one, serious omission. The breed of First Dog is never mentioned. He does not appear in any of those ten blocks. Can you believe it? No information about First Dog?! I beg your pardon? How does he become First Dog? I didn't say, did I?

In the book, "First Dog," a black puppy feels lost without a home. Ready for an adventure he sets out on a worldwide trip in search of the perfect place to live. He visits countries all over the globe and meets many different types of dogs but none of the places feels like home. Sad and tired he ends up back where he started. By accident he happens upon a newspaper article about a very important family looking for a dog. With hopeful stars in his eyes he makes his way to a big, white house in Washington, D.C. Father-Daughter duo J. Patrick Lewis and Beth Zappitello bring readers an interesting and fact-filled story about a lonely globe-trotting dog with their perfectly timed release coinciding with the White House dog announcement. Tim Bower's cute illustrations (created using oil paint on canvas) perfectly capture the innocent puppy expression, depict many famous landmarks around the world and creatively include some newer technologies like the Segway. The dog in the book looks exactly like a Portuguese water dog. Apparently this choice wasn't by accident, but carefully planned. Because the book features so many different places around the world, it makes an entertaining lesson in geography. The endpapers list ten different dog breeds included in the story along with fun breed facts. We actually learned quite about some breeds we hadn't ever heard of by reading the book. The only thing that perplexes me...why aren't any facts about the Portuguese water dog breed listed? Here are the breeds/destinations discussed in the story, in case you are wondering if your favorites made the cut: Newfoundland - Newfoundland * London - English Bulldog * France - Poodle * Croatia - Dalmatian * Russia - Borzoi * China - Chinese Char-Pei * Australia - Dingo * South Africa - Rhodesian Ridgeback * South America - Peruvian Hairless * Mexico - Chihuahua Besides the current events connection, this book makes a great adopt-a-pet read. It makes me want to go to our local shelter and find a new friend for our family.

This beautifully illustrated book cleverly tells the story of a dog looking for the perfect home and finding it at the White House. The dog's journey is a wonderful lesson in geography, taking readers around the world and introducing them to dogs native to those countries. (Each of these breeds are also shown inside the front and back covers of the book). The authors and illustrator show great respect to the current First Family when they answer the door to find the dog sitting there. Bravo to the narrative on the dedication page about getting involved in rescue efforts in your area and to an eloquent dedication to all those in the rescue community!!

This book is charming, entertaining, beautifully illustrated and packs a powerful message. I found myself totally caught off guard as I read this timely book about a dog searching the wide world for his roots and hoping to find his "fit". Not only do we learn about his journey, but really, it's everyone's story. Where did we come from? Where do we belong? Who do we look like? Will we be accepted? As I turned the pages, I not only a smile on my face, but found the story unexpectedly struck a nerve. Coming from a family with adoptions I realized that this is a wonderful story of inclusion and triumph. Wondering, questioning, searching, finding acceptance, love and family: while this book can and should be enjoyed as a lively story of the "First Dog" the underlying message is a clear and lovely reminder of how we are all "adopted" - by classmates, friends, co-workers, and family. Yes We Can: we can all belong. A triumph.